Card index



April 1955 M. E. SCHXPPERS ET 2,705,845

CARD INDEX Filed Feb. 9, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS: MAARTEN E. 5C HIPPERS JAN A. DEX/(ER WZN JAIL/WA. DEKKER i /Mm Luc AGENTIS April 12, 1955 scH1PPER$ El'AL 2,705,845

CARD INDEX 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 9, 1951 lNVENT'ORS- MAARTENE. SCH/PPERS JAN A. DEX/(ER WZN JAN A. DEX/(ER.

MAM Ma 1 AGENTS United States Patent CARD INDEX Maarten E. Schippers, Rijswijk, Jan A. Dekker Wzn,

Hilversum, and Jan A. Dekker, Amsterdam, Netherlands Application February 9, 1951, Serial No. 210,176

Claims priority, application Netherlands February 18, 1950 3 Claims. (Cl. 40-102) The invention relates to a card index with filing cards, the margins of which are used for retaining said cards to a rotatable conical support with a vertical axis. A card index of this type is known from U. S. Patent 2,413,078. Such a card index shows with respect to card indexes in which the retaining margins of the filing cards are arranged according to the surface of a vertical cylinder (see c. g. U. S. Patent 1,930,843) the advantage that the cards to be consulted will stay in a separated position when once opened up at a particular place by an operator. The cards stay open in the way of a book in consequence of the conical shape of the support. When the operator has to copy certain dates from the filing cards, both hands are free which is not the case when using a cylindrical card index, for in this case it is necessary to keep the cards separated at the desired place with a hand. Moreover in the case of conical card indexes the lighting of the cards is considerably better.

In the card index according to U. S. Patent 2,413,078 the cards are retained by means of keyhole shaped slots in the margin of each card, said slots being placed upon two circular retaining rails with difierent diameter, the cross section of the rails being adapted to the shape of the slots. As a matter of fact this way of retaining the cards may be useful for cards of small dimensions but is unpractical for large cards, especially when these cards are arranged for holding a number of strips with dates as indicated in British Patent 340,491. The strips on such cards have often to be amended, changed or shifted and these measures are preferably carried out when the cards are taken out of the support. When the cards of the known device are often removed from the support, there is a considerable chance for damaging the margins by tearing.

The object of the invention is a card index which enables a lasting connection of filing cards arranged on I a conical support and which also enables an easy removal of the cards. According to the invention the retaining means of the cards consist of pins protruding under and over the retaining margins of each card, said pins being inserted into continuous circular grooves of the support, the ratio of the diameter of the upper pin to the diameter of the under pin being approximately equal to the ratio of the radius of the upper groove to the radius of the under groove. In this way a card index is obtained in which the disadvantages mentioned above are avoided. The connection is obtained in such a way that removal or insertion of the cards does not cause wear or tear, while by adapting the dimensions of the pins and the grooves falling out of the cards out of the support is avoided definitely. When upper and under pins of equal diameter would be used as known per se in cylindrical card indexes, there would be so much play between the pins in the under groove, that the pins will jump out of the groove when handling the cards.

When using cards the retaining margins of which are provided with a continuous rod protruding under and over each card, this rod may according to the invention carry at its under end a thickened part or boss preferably in the form of a cylinder or ball with a bore pushed over the end of the rod. In a card index the cards of which are removable by shifting in a vertical plain and swinging with respect to a horizontal axis the cards may be locked against vertical shifting by locking means engaging the under pin of each card. To this end the under pin may be provided with the groove, said groove being engaged by the locking means.

2,705,845 Patented Apr. 12, 1955 According to the invention the locking means may consist of a wire or cable common to a number of cards, saidwire or cable being arranged in the under groove of the support and bent into a circular arc the radius of which may be increased or decreased by controlling means for locking or unlocking the cards. Such a wire or cable may lie inside or outside the under pins.

In order to protect that card index against dust a circular screen is provided over the upper side of the support, said screen having a radius approximately equal to the radius of the base of the cone formed by the cards. This screen may be independently rotatable and is preferably carried by an extension of the central post of the support. Such an independently rotatable screen may be used as transport means in card indexes of such dimensions that they may be consulted simultaneously by a number of operators. This applies specially to card indexes for registrating dates on the strips mentioned above in numbers of 50,000 or higher. One operator may remove a card from the index, place this card on the screen and transport the card to another operator by turning the screen.

In order to avoid intercepting the light falling on the cards, the screen may be made of transparent or translucent material. This material may consist of glass or a suitable plastic. When using such a screen the upper side of the support may consist of a plate with a polished or reflecting surface. The light reflected by this plate is thereupon partially reflected by the screen in the direction of the card by means of which the visibility of the dates on the cards is improved.

The invention will further be explained by a description of an embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing.

Fig. 1 gives a vertical sectional view of a card index according to the invention.

Fig. 2 gives details of the rotatable mounting of the support of the cards.

Fig. 3 gives on a larger scale the retaining means of the cards to the support.

Fig. 4 gives a front view of the controlling disk of the locking means.

Fig. 5 gives a transverse section of a fixed stop placed in the under groove of the support.

In the drawing 1 is a movable stand supporting the vertical shaft 2. A conical drum 8 is rotatably supported with respect to the vertical shaft 2 by means of roller bearings 3, 4. The drum may be arrested by means of a braking device 30. The drum forms a support for the cards 5 and is provided with an upper groove 6 and a lower groove 7 in the shape of two circles with difierent radii. In the embodiment of the drawing the top angle of the cone formed by the wall 8 of the drum is about 60. The groove 6 is formed between an upper plate 9 of the support and a circular or annular plate 10 fixed thereto. The groove 7 is provided in a circular rail 11. The parts 10, 11 are mutually connected by the wall 8, said wall having a shape of truncated cone. The rail 11 is supported by means of spokes 13 connected to a central boss 12. The outer ends of the spokes 13 extend radially outward beyond the rail 11, forming handles 14 by means of which the support of the cards may be turned with respect to the vertical shaft 2. In order to improve the rigidity of the device the spokes 13 are connected in the vicinity of the rail 11 by means of rods 15 to the central boss 16 of the upper plate 9.

Each filing card 5 has an inner margin provided with a continuous rod 17, this rod protruding above and below the card forming in this way an upper pin 18 with the same diameter as the rod 17, said pin 18 being inserted into the groove 6 and a lower pin 19, said pin carrying a thickened part 20 inserted into the groove 7. The radius of the groove 7 is about two times the radius of the groove 6 and therefore according to the invention the diameter of the part 20 is about two times the diameter of the pin 18.

In the position of Fig. 3 it is possible to remove the cards 5 from the support. To accomplish removal, the card to be removed is first shifted in a vertical direction until the upper margin of the card hits the rim 21 of the plate 9, in this position the part 20 is free of the groove 7. By swinging the card with respect to a horizontal axis removal is possible.

The cards may be locked in the support by means of locking means 22. These consist of a steel wire or Bowden cable arranged in the groove 23 of the rail 11; said wire may be placed in two positions by means of a controlling disk 24. The wire 22 may be placed on the bottom of the groove 23 or may be pushed outwards with respect to this bottom. This is done by means of the disk 24 rotatably supported by the rail 11; at 26 and 27 said disk is connected with the ends of the steel wire 22, said wire being guided to the groove along the inner side of the rail 11 through suitable passages 31, 32. The disk 24 is carried by a shaft 28 which is rotatably supported by the rail 11 and carries at its front end a hand crank 29. By means of the hand crank the disk 24 may be placed in such positions that the wire 22 locks or unlocks the parts 20. The disk 24 may be provided with a latch for arresting the disk in the desired positions.

The continuous groove 7 in the rail 11 may be divided into a number of sections by means of fixed stops 33, placed in the groove. To each stop in the lower groove 7 belongs a corresponding stop in the upper groove 6. The stops 33 in the lower groove are provided with a slot 34 for passing the common locking wire 22. In place of common locking means for all cards it is also possible to provide each section with separate locking means with controlling disks.

Over the drum of the card index a screen 35 of Plexiglas is placed to keep dust from falling onto the cards. With respect to Fig. 1 it is remarked, that here the cards are drawn in the opened position; in the closed position they practically do not protrude outside the periphery of the screen 35. The screen 35 is supported rotatably on the shaft 2 by means of a boss 36 in order to be used as transport means independently rotatable with respect to the card drum.

The upper surface of the plate 9 is polished so that a part of the light reflected by this plate is projected via the plate 35 on the cards.

As shown in Fig. 1 it is possible to arrange the stand with the card index between two writing desks so that difierent operators may consult the card index simultaneously. In the case of very large card indexes it is even possible to arrange three or four desks round the card 1n 6!.

What we claim is:

1. In a card index for file cards, a support having annular supporting grooves opening toward one another and arranged coaxially one above the other on a common vertical axis, the upper of said supporting grooves having a diameter smaller than that of the lower supporting groove, and end aligned upper and lower pins extended from the top and bottom edges of the file cards and projected into said grooves, said lower pins having concentrically bored bosses mounted thereon to have a diameter greater than said upper pins, the cross-sections of said bosses and of said lower groove being such as to permit vertical movement of said bosses, the ratio of the diameter of the upper pins to the diameter of said bosses on the lower pins being substantially equal to the ratio of the circumference of the upper groove to the circumference of the lower groove so that the circumferential clearance between said bosses in the lower groove is sufiiciently small to prevent swinging of said cards about the related upper pins to an extent enabling removal of said bosses from the lower groove.

2. Lock apparatus for a card index having a support provided with annular supporting grooves opening toward one another to removably receive and support end aligned pins extended from the top and bottom edges of file cards, said apparatus comprising a cylindrical boss having a concentric bore fitted onto the lower pin of each card increasing the diameter of the lower pins, said bosses having radially opening slots, and locking means on said support concentric with the lower of said annular supporting grooves and engaged with said slots securing the file cards against being removed from the support.

3. A card index according to claim 2, wherein said locking means comprises a flexible cable on said support and bent into a circle concentric with said lower groove, and manually operable means on said support and engaged with the ends of said cable, so constructed and arranged that the operative diameter of said cable can be increased to engage said cable with said slots or can be decreased to disengage said cable from said slots.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Oct. 7, 

